Gold enjoys its place as both a lucrative investment option and as one of the most precious metals on the planet. The price of gold may not currently be the highest of the investment metals, but it certainly is the most famous and most sought-after. It has been used to store and preserve wealth for centuries.
Gold is a popular asset for investors to physically possess. People sense a feeling of empowerment and security when they own physical gold. On the other hand, investors keep gold as part of their investment to save their wealth from uncertainty in the market.
Making a decision to add gold to an investment portfolio isn’t the only difficult choice. There are various options to choose from when you want to invest in gold. One of those options is investing in numismatic gold coins. These coins were issued as legal tender when they were first introduced. These coins hold their intrinsic gold value, and they are high in demand due to their history.
Primarily, there are two British bullion coins - the sovereign and the Britannia. Investors often get confused about choosing the right coin for them. The decision isn’t really hard to make, but you need to know the basics about these coins. Choosing between these coins is a matter of personal preference and resources. We will guide you about the basics of these coins so that you can make a decision for yourself.
- History:
Britannia coins were first produced in 1987 and contained 22-carat gold, meaning they contained 99.9% pure gold. These coins weigh 31.10 grams of gold or one troy ounce. This makes the Britannia coin the larger one of both coins. Britannia coins were first minted in 22-carat quality, but with improvement in technology, it was possible to improve the purity of these gold coins to 24-karat. Apart from gold Britannia coins, the Royal Mint also produces Silver Britannias and Platinum Britannias.
On the other hand, gold sovereigns are much older, and current coins have been produced since 1817. The quality of gold in sovereigns is still 22 carats. As for weight, as we mentioned earlier that the Gold Sovereign is a smaller coin than Britannia and weighs 7.32 grams. These coins have been produced in Canada, Australia, India, and South Africa, along with the United Kingdom. Sovereign coins are more sought-after gold coins due to their age and history. These coins were produced all over the world, so they hold a geographic and historic value in addition to their intrinsic gold value.
- Price:
As discussed in the previous section, the price of both types of gold coins also varies because of the difference in their size and history. The Britannia coins are more of an investment tool, and they are more expensive due to their bigger size. Britannia coins are approximately four times larger than gold sovereign. The larger size of Britannia coins means that the production cost of them is lower, and thus they sell for a lower premium overall.
Gold sovereigns, on the other hand, are cheaper than Britannias, but they have a rich history, and the majority of sovereign coins that are available to buy are older. Sovereigns sell for a higher premium than Britannias. The Britannia coins win on this factor.
- Variety:
There is usually only one type of Britannia coin, and there are occasional special additions of these coins. There are also fractional versions of Britannia coins available, but they are in limited supply as their price can be high.
The gold sovereign coins, in contrast, have been here for around for more than 2 centuries. These coins were produced in different designs under different monarchs. The variety in age and monarchs of gold sovereign coins make them much more desirable than Britannia coins.
- Liquidity and Affordability:
Sovereign gold coins are more affordable due to their small size, and they are also more liquid due to their high demand. If you prefer to invest in small increments, the Sovereign coins are the better choice. But if you are looking to buy gold just for investment options and have larger amounts of cash to invest, Britannias are an excellent option.
Both Sovereigns and Britannias are well recognised worldwide, and both are excellent investment options. The best coin depends on your investing preference.
